I had so many classes, in Naples and Milan and I have kept in touch with everyone ... I know of many stories, I have followed their lives, others have lost sight of them ... I figure, I do not remember names, faces stuck in 'expression that had child ...
Of the three, however, I know who have died, all three of Melito, the town where I taught for over ten years, before coming to Milan, where I left a part of my heart.
Franco came into my life ... repeating in '78, had attended the first three times ... they called "hippie" had blond hair and long, a 'difficult childhood behind him, a father who was in prison. .. was a predestined ... violent, arrogant, unable to stop even for a few seconds, perhaps hardened by life so as to be incapable even of affection.
was a love-hate relationship, our means tried them all, with him ... the lure, the punishments, the Convenor of the parents ... nothing was no use: it was acrimonious, disrespectful, a liar ... flattered and then shot in the back, was never able to combine anything constructive.
and began promoting it in the second ... a day with him in class was hell, tormented by his companions, did not carry out the tasks assigned either at home or at school ... he calmed down during the second quarter, but little. .. I was hoping he began, sometimes to study a small page of history or geography, some time to learn, when he was a genius, half a poem ...
In the third, the new school building was built outside the village, beautiful, spacious, with the theater ... I was assigned there and changed the section happened ... 'inevitable ... without my brake broke any bank: he called "ricchione" a professor, ran from the classroom window ... just to get rid of them asked him not to go to school, if not for the exams, and ensure its promotion.
Years later, I got in my course the younger brother, good boy, quiet, with a fund of goodness out that most did not, wanted to emulate his brother and bully, but he could not really ... but Franco came to visit ... pretext to ask for news of his younger brother, was doing his "scripted" in posing as a criminal class ... it was, but by half a point ... even in what emerged.
When I came to Milan, I learned that there 'had been a shooting in the town square which was released unharmed ... died in 32 years ... some say a drug overdose, others for alcohol abuse, was a silent death and poor, the end of a wasted life ... I have often thought about his mother ... had bulging washing steps throughout life, pampered and spoiled him happy in everything ... or maybe you are born in a way ... his brother had the same start and came out better than him ... I wanted the good time, and the feeling of helplessness accompany me, even in this case, forever.
Louis was and was not my student ... first, we taught Italian letters, history and geography in the first and second media, there remained only the third in Italian, while teaching the history and geography of the links of the same course .. . then by '83 changed everything and it was in before it turns the two teachers ... in the second and the third remained in Italian for all subjects. In
'82 Paul was born, my second child in November, when I had to go back to school in February, the deputy asked if I could ask the' year of breastfeeding, I would be back only at first, she would have been to teach history and geography in the third, where I had never been.
The score was used, but also free time to prepare for a competition: I agreed willingly ... so, Luigi, who was in the third, I knew him only by proximity of classes for some time replacement made by me, and why They knew that the chair was me.
Louis was nice, sweet eyes had a sincere, honest ... it was a nice guy ... maybe not an excellent student, but certainly reliable and polite.
For a strange reason it reminded me of my niece ... and one more oddity, to see him, talk to him, gave me a sort of tenderness, as close to the heart, the desire to be happy in life ... who knows ....
few years ago, now an adult, I know that he went to take a trip to India marked ... a tropical disease, he returned to Naples, was hospitalized and cared for, had taken over New Year's Eve wanted to go out for the New Year, had a relapse ... it ended, a stupid and useless death, and I know that the mother is crazy, I remember always with those big eyes and sincere smile and good.
John has taught me that no one ever leaves with grievances pending ... then, again, I apologize at the cost of a student, I never let you finish school and then meet and there they said goodbye.
was the son of two teachers, now the parents are dead, I found him in a class, all male, where I went when they built the new school, I left the class and I was transferred Franco there.
Already, the parents did not want me ... was the section of the notables, the one where I was then to come to Milan, had the same teacher for two years and would not change in the third ... my reputation as a teacher unorthodox at times preceded me, and often had to experiment to find out that I was also prepared and able to teach well ...
However, the 'other was even moved, touched me in that class ... and I took it.
C 'was the son of the mayor, whose mother was one of our colleague, a lot of guys opinionated, funny and some really good one.
John was very good in written Italian ... the rest was a medium-high, and it was a difficult year ... I think 's one of my life when I was really tense, as they are not able to establish a serene relationship with the class ... it is true that the male was more difficult classes, from' the following year there were mixed classes and everything was better, I alternated male and female in the pews and at the end of this period has always created a real camaraderie ...
It was a very difficult year, some countered with proposals to my tone, sometimes mocking, sometimes opinionated ... I need a lot of effort to maintain calm and to 'top of the situation.
It came first ... the written exam, then they did not use oral ... then, as now, especially with good classes, preparing essays or paths are asking questions about everything ... the program, especially those who were thought to have high grades.
My colleague, wife of the mayor, accompanied his son to 'oral and followed him during interrogations, which irritates all of us a little while ...' s review of Italian, I, for one strange quirk of memory, I continued to insist on a poem by Manzoni that he, during the 'year, he studied little and badly, my mother kept saying that his son had prepared the case for pleasure ... the boy was named Alfonso, was a spoiled only child and for all 's years had done the boaster, and that day was hiding behind the skirts of mother ...
Finished 's examination were all in agreement that "separate" could take it, but "very good" no; protests by the College of Mathematics, a bit under the thumb of these parents 'property' ... finally came to a compromise: if Alfonso did not take the 'not good' s would take anyone, except the very talented and studious named Andrea ... here is that poor John, who had made a great theme and an oral rather than honorable, paid for his sins and took no "separate".
These things, if you knew how to gossip, I do not know ... I know that John is no longer greeted me ... in the following years, came at times in class and he affected not to see me or not to know, more Sometimes I was tempted to stop in the street to explain how things had gone, but never sent ... You must do this ...
From one moment to 'another decided to move to Milan to work with my husband and never saw him again ...
L '... year after nearly a decade had passed from the middle school, I learned that John had died in a car accident at night, returning home Saturday night ... the dead ... he was just over twenty 'years, maybe twenty-two ...
's only good thing I did and I sprang from the heart, was to write a letter to parents, just talking about him and his character, his qualities, his intelligence and sensitivity ... I responded with a letter very expensive and I learned from my fellow mathematics in their desperate pain, showed all that my letter as a testimony of affection of a former teacher ... I was left with my regret, I wish time could go back to talk, explain, explain ... was one of the biggest lessons of my life ...... I have often thinking about him and his life destroyed too soon, but let me wrong with a student, I do not happen anymore.
